Skye's Arrival

Chapter Twenty-Three

When I wake, it’s mostly silent. Thousands of stars are beginning to fade in the morning light, while birds begin to sing. The camp is still sleeping, and I just realized my arm is over Rafi. Quickly, I pull my arm back as I scoot back to my original spot while a blush spreads on my face. That was weird.

Quietly, I tap on Dawn’s stone in three quick knocks, while I call her name in my mind. I pull my knee to my chest as I unwrap my ankle. When Dawn shows I put my finger to my lips as I jerk my head towards the sleeping boys.

Wordlessly, she nods and takes over for me. We look down to find that the puncture wounds have healed. Dawn helps me to my leg and holds me steady as I test my weight. My leg buckles as I open my mouth to let out a silent pained scream. It still feels like my bone is horribly shattered.

Dawn frowns and allows me to lean against her before helping me limp away from the camp. “It’s still not healed?” She demands from me, helping me sit on a particularly large rock.

“No,” I answer, squirming just a little. “It feels like something is in there.”

“Take off your pants,” she tells me, trying to help me. “I’ll get the med kit and see if I can find anything.”

By the time I have shimmied off my pants, Dawn is back. She kneels and touches my leg, making me flinch and hiss in pain. She tries again, and the same reaction comes from me.

“Would you just hold still?” She demands. “You’ve suffered worse injuries than this and barely moved.”

I grimace. “I know, but it’s painful.” I squirm under her hand as she tries to feel my leg. She pins my good leg against the rock with her body, angling her body sideways while she goes after my leg with both hands.

“Ouch,” I yelp as she squeezes, creating a piercing pain deep into my leg.

“Will you just stop moving? It’ll hurt less if you just relax.” She grunts, trying her hardest not to just outright grab my leg. I squeal while I try to bite my lip to keep from yelling, forcing my leg to hold still.

Dawn runs her hand up and down my leg, resting her hand on my inner knee, then looks up at me. “You have teeth in your leg.”

“How many,” I grimace.

“At least five.”

“Well get them out.”

“I can’t,” she tells me. “You’re moving too much.”

“Pull. Them. Out,” I beg, gritting my teeth as she feels my leg.

“What the hell is going on here?” Rafi’s voice demands from behind us.

Dawn pops her head out from between my legs, looking at him. “She’s got teeth from that totoalin inside of her leg.”

“What?” Rafi demands, coming around to get a better look.

“Rafi,” I snap, glaring at him when he starts to bend down.

Remembering himself, he immediately straightens. “How am I supposed to look with your legs spread like this?” He demands.

“You don’t,” Dawn tells him. “I can handle this.”

“You look like you’re doing a great job,” Rafi tells her sarcastically, mocking the position of her hands outstretched while leaning far away into her back.

She glares at him. “You’re infuriating. Why are you even here?”

“When I heard Skye squealing and whimpering, it called for an investigation.” He tells her, very unamused by her hostility.

“Just let me take care of it.” Dawn insists. “I know how to treat her.”

“And how pray tell, are you planning on treating a moving target?” He demands, watching me try to pull my leg away.

“I’ll figure it out,” she grunts.

“Will you stop arguing with my legs spread open?” I demand, frustrated beyond belief.

“Sorry Skye,” they say together.

Dawn takes a deep breath. “We might have to pin her down to get those teeth out.”

“Ya think,” Rafi snaps then steadies himself. “Sorry, that was rude. I know you’ve been feeling useless lately, but I promise you, this is not something you can do solo.”

Dawn stands, allowing me to close my legs and tuck my injured leg away to hide it. I grab Dawn’s hand and pull her towards me so I can lean against her. It’s then that I realize that my face is sweating at that point.

Dawn looks down at that point, realizing I’m slouching further into her. “Rafi, what is wrong with her?”

Rafi looks me over. “She looks sick. We better get her back to camp.” He comes over and helps pick me up, but I still hold onto Dawn’s hand, the pain beginning to grow in my leg.

I grip Rafi’s shirt and I bury my face into his chest. “It’s the poison from the fangs,” I tell them. “Their teeth break off easily and release their venom to slowly kill their victim. It’ll find its victim by the scent it left behind and then eat it.”

“How do we get it out of her,” Dawn demands, us finally making it to the camp.

“You’ll have to cut it out. The teeth are serrated so it’ll be difficult to remove.” I tell them while Gerrickson demands to know what is going on. I was hoping there were no teeth left behind. I should have checked, but I was extremely embarrassed by how Rafi found me, so I was distracted.

Rafi sets me down on the bedroll while I still cling to him. Dawn squeezes my arm while she rubs it, trying to comfort me. “I don’t think you can hold still that long. We’ll need to get you to a healer.”

“There isn’t time,” I tell them, pulling my face away from his chest to look at Dawn. “You’ll have to bite me,” I tell her while physically flinching at my words.

Dawn’s jaw dropped. “I’m sorry, but that’s not happening. I don’t even know what would happen if I bit you. I’m a Celestial Demon, Skye, not just a regular old demon. I’m designed to kill, specifically Celestials.”

“Well, either one of you has to get me really drunk, or bite me,” I tell her, motioning towards her and Rafi.

“Do you really think we have alcohol?” Gerrickson asks in a teasing voice, kneeling next to me. He touches my forehead and measures my pulse. “She’s growing weaker and she has a fever. Skye’s right, there isn’t time.”

“Do you know how to treat her?” Dawn asks, relief in her voice.

He nods. “I grew up with Monks, remember? Most do not have your healing capabilities. Rafi, you’re going to have to be the one to bite her. Dawn’s venom would have the same effect as being bitten by a venomous snake. It will do nothing to her but cause extreme pain.”

“How do you even know that,” Rafi asks, sounding a bit desperate.

“Because I spent decades studying Celestial Demons. Now are you going to man up and bite her, or do you want her to die?” Gerrickson demands, sounding more annoyed than frustrated.

“I can’t bite her,” Rafi protests, looking at me with visible distress in his eyes.

Gerrickson touches my cheek, “She’s burning up Rafi. She doesn’t have time for this internal struggle.”

A war is waging behind his eyes and I know the reason why. He doesn’t want me to see him as his brother. “Skye,” he says, clear torture on his face.

Unable to handle this fired pain running through me any longer, I grab his shirt and pull him towards me. I lock eyes with him. “Rafi, you have my permission to bite me. You will never be Koan. I will never think of you as Koan. Now please, bite me.”

Rafi measures my expression and the sincerity in my eyes. He closes his eyes as he looks down. “That’s not the only reason Skye.”

Dawn speaks quickly. “Rafi, that is the least of our concerns right now. Skye is in pain. You have the power to ease it.”

I’m in too much pain to find out more about what he meant by that. Rafi nods, looking at me. He pulls away and then gently kisses my forehead. I cock my head, exposing my neck. My heart rate increases as his scent overcomes my senses I smell his jawline as he nuzzles my neck gently.

“Rafi,” I start feeling slightly dazed as my breathing picks up pace, “thank you.”

Rafi bites into my neck, making my eyes roll into the back of my head. I grab his hand as he lays me back. A world full of colors lights up my field of vision. The shapes are different than Koan’s. They’re not as jagged and seem softer. It’s somehow calmer and more relaxing. They radiate warmth, making my pain almost melt away.

I feel Rafi pull away, but he still holds onto my hand. “She’s sedated,” Rafi reports, a strong undercurrent in his voice.

“You had to do it,” Dawn says with sympathy in her voice. I didn’t know that she was capable of that emotion yet. I can also feel my skin being pulled at my leg so I’m assuming Gerrickson is getting to work.

“I know, but at what cost?” He responds while squeezing my hand.

Dawn runs her fingers through my hair. “You know she won’t-“

“Dawn, stop,” Rafi says quickly. “Let’s focus on Skye, and then we can get moving.”

“I was just trying to comfort you,” she says quickly.

“I know, and believe me, I appreciate it, but I’d rather focus on something else at the moment. Will you please go get a change of clothes for Skye to wear?”

“Rafi, she’s only trying to help.” Gerrickson admonishes.

“I know, but please remember that Skye can hear everything we’re saying.” Rafi points out.

It falls silent for a moment before Gerrickson speaks. “If it makes this situation any better, Skye is much more relaxed than when she was stardazed by Koan.”

“It does,” he says, pushing the hair from my face.

“Are you upset that you bit her?”

“I’m upset about why I had to.” He squeezes my hand. “Why was there a totoalin this far north? It had to be here for a reason.”

“Do you think Koan sent it after her?”

“No, I think Alona did. Koan is growing desperate to find her.”